The BIG Kahuna

I found this site today about a guy named Garry Egan. He calls himself the ?Internet Commander?. Here is a bit from the site:?

?I am Garry Egan, Internet Commander. It takes a special professional to acquire the status of Internet Commander. An Internet Commander is one with a large area of expertise. Am I an expert in all areas of the internet? Pretty much.??

Then he has this graphic of course:

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?????????????????????????????????????? All Hail The…

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I see these types of people all over the net and I scratch my head. First off branding is about solving the needs of the client. Not about boasting about yourself. The last thing a potential client wants to read is that. The brand image Garry Egan sends is that of an egotistical person, not someone who can solve my problems.?

Here is another excerpt:?

?An expert, practically, since birth, Garry has been writing code since age 11 and has working knowledge on all consumer development platforms, protocols, and deployment methodologies from terrestrial to satellite, and beyond.??

Wow, an expert since birth huh. Imagine how picked on this kid was at age 11? Who writes ?code? at age 11? Well good for you Garry, at age 11 I was playing baseball, football and other fun games kids play. I liked being a kid. But thanks for patting your self on the back.?If you have to brag about yourself you might as well find a new career path. That?s no way to establish a brand identity or brand image.

But then look at his logo:?

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Now look at Google’s Logo:

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Hmm, does it strangely resemble Google? Maybe that?s because?it appears he?used all of Google?s color schemes and fonts? Personally we recommend differentiation and positioning to our clients not blending in with the pack or ?copying? others. Just our humble opinion of course.

You may want to research the “Internet Commander” Garry Egan before signing on with him…

I saw a great video about this guy called ?Jimmy Justice? today. What he does is follow around parking enforcement in New York to catch them parking illegally. Very funny stuff, check it out:?

Funny Video

Vigilante Video?

I also took a picture of one of these people in one of my previous posts:

? Here?s the deal. If you are a parking enforcer don?t break the law. Don?t stand in line waiting for lunch while you?re parked in front of a fire hydrant. It makes you look bad and the city you work for. We call that brand image.

I love being a Red Sox fan. Let me tell you why. No matter what happens to the Red Sox I?m committed to the brand. I?ve never booed the Sox. Even when they stunk and had the worst luck of any major league team fans like me always supported them. That?s a strong brand.

As Sox fans we feel for the players, we don?t expect anything but hope for the best. And we love to beat the Yankees. Here?s why:?

1. The Yankees legally cheat. Yup, they can sign whoever they want and pay whatever they want because they are one of the richest teams in all of sports. It?s not like Football where there is a salary cap. The Yankees actually spend more on one player than other teams spend on the entire team. This gives them an unfair advantage, but it?s all within the rules. So when they lose their fans get REALLY upset. Why? Because they expect to win. Watch a Yankee game and listen to their fans boo their own players on a regular basis.
2. Because the fans feel entitled they neglect the brand. This is bad for brand image and awareness.
3. New Yorkers have too much going on. They have the Mets, Nets, Knicks, Jets, Giants, Islanders, Devils and probably a soccer team or two. They can?t be committed to any one brand.

So New York fans take some advice from a Sox fan. Love your team and its players no matter what. It will make you feel better as you lose yet another year.

Hey, we all know that beauty queens aren?t the brightest bulbs on the tree and sometimes their answers to the big question are downright funny. I had Miss Teen South Carolina winning this thing…

…that is until her question and answer came into play:?

Question:?Why one-fifth of Americans cannot locate the United States on a map??

Answer:?I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uhmmm, some people out there in our nation don?t have maps and uh, I believe that our, I, education like such as uh, South Africa, and uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and I believe that they should, uhhh, our education over here in the US should help the US, uh, should help South Africa, it should help the Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future, for us.?

Umm, huh? Why can?t one fifth of Americans find our country? That?s really the sad part. Has America not branded itself well enough or is our education system really that bad?

Hey Second Grade Teachers?.teach kids where the hell we are for God?s sake! She’s a doll though, good luck!

I just got back from my weekend in Nantucket. I love Nantucket. There you can find every big brand imaginable. Some of the guests actually keep the branding tags right on their merchandise to showcase them. That?s some branding for you and lots to laugh at.?

I always like to people watch in Nantucket. I love the pink whale pants with the green Polo shirts (collars up of course) that the men wear.

And I really like to watch the women trip and stagger along the cobblestone streets in their 6 inch Jimmy Choo?s! How fun!!

It?s worth all the expense and overpriced meals just to see the entertainment of the wanna be wealthy along side the very wealthy. I got to see the Forbes and Penske Yachts. Wow, those things cost as much as a small country. Fun, fun, fun in Nantucket!?

But what?s important here is how branding influences the lives of these people. A name brand is what they seek and crave. The more prestige?s the better. It?s like an addiction for this group of people. And it?s what keeps me in business.?

So guests of Nantucket keep buying those Coach and Louis Vuitton handbags.

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Don?t forget your Hilfiger and Lauren merchandise. Keep naming your kids Ashley and Zack and keep passing down those trust funds. Keep them thinking name brands only. That way I can afford the $42 steak I had at American Seasons Restaurant.?

?This picture says it all:

I question whether TV advertising is a good vehicle. Think about it. We are so desensitized to commercials. We use them for food or bathroom breaks or we just downright fast forward through them using our DVR or Tivo. ? I know that I can?t stand watching them, so I just forward through them on my Tivo. Bye, bye commercials.?Another reason I don?t watch is the quality of the commercials.

I see far too many local commercials that are just annoying and awful to watch. What are these business owners thinking when they make complete idiots of themselves??

A new trend I see is ?usable product placement?. On the TV show the Closer the main character uses a T-Mobil phone with the recognizable ring tone. That?s cool and very subliminal. By working the product into the show it becomes more trustworthy. And I don?t mean just showing a product. It has to have a function in the show.

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By having a real tangible function the viewer can identify with the product without being sold to. I love it and I think it?s the way to go. ? T-Mobil is building brand awareness just through the sound of their ring tone. This will ultimately improve their overall branding effort and increase their brand image. ?Advertisers should want more of this type of branding. Seek it out and make it happen.

We need authors for the BIGblog. Sign up today and start writing some stories!

?Let?s go you branding fools.

You know what I hear on a daily basis? We sell more than just XYZ but clients only think we sell X. We say we give good service but our clients think otherwise. The list goes on and on.?The problem is that most companies don?t know who they are and what they do. Often the answer is so close but yet so far away.

They just don?t have a brand identity or positioning. I?ve met with fortune 500 companies that when asked could not tell me their positioning. Sad, but true.? When asked to really consider what positioning they have clients often say:?

Good service (what company says we provide bad service)

Value (what company says we provide no value)

Ethics (what company says they are unethical)?

You get the point. You can?t be everything to everyone people. Draw your line in the sand and differentiate yourself!?

I offer a brand workshop called ?Pump Up Your Brand?. It?s an easy way to talk about these sorts of issues and problems.

Check it out here:?

http://www.brandidentityguru.com/bidForm.htm

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Maybe you should think about who the heck you are!

I wrote an article a few weeks back on Michael Vick and the loss of his branding empire.

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http://www.brandidentityguru.com/wordpress/?p=48??

I gave him the benefit of the doubt even though my gut said this guy is as guilty as OJ. Now that all his ?buddies? have pleaded guilty and taken plea deals Michael Vick stands alone.?Michael Vick, you disgust me. You had everything, a 180 Million dollar contract, Nike deals and on and on.

Obviously that wasn?t good enough for you and something in your character (or lack of) has come out loud and clear. You?re below pond scum and honestly if it were up to me you?d have to go through the same torture you put those helpless dogs through.? I know you?ll get some kind of a light sentence and try and make a comeback in 18 months or so. But fair warning, I will not be watching.? Any football team that even starts talks with this scum bag should be ashamed and will be protested by PETA. I wouldn?t want PETA protesting me all the time that?s for sure.

Michael Vick is a branding cancer. Avoid him at all costs or suffer big time brand image problems.?I hope Michael Vick loses everything. Because he?s one person that should!

The mortgage industry is getting pummeled for sure. All those people that bought Interest Only Loans and 3 Year Arms are in big trouble now aren?t they? Maybe just maybe you shouldn?t spend more than you earn huh?

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As many big mortgage companies contemplate bankruptcy and small guys are struggling to keep the lights on there is good news.?Rejoice because today?s a good day for you. Let me explain how??

Let me paint the scene??

The market is in the dumps, companies are dropping like flies, and so what?s your opportunity??

Branding, Marketing, and Advertising!?Yessiree Bob. Now?s the time to really focus on marketing! Why? Because your competitors have stopped all their marketing efforts. It?s the first thing to go in a down economy. Really not sure why though because it?s the best opportunity.??

Not only will you be one of the few mortgage company?s advertising but you?ll get discounted rates now from the advertisers. Yep, they want you business. ?Raise your marketing and branding budgets folks. If you?re all competing for a few of the best prospects you better be in front of them huh??Take my advice on this.? Branding is the most critical strategy you can employ in a down market.?

Good luck!?

Just heard they are remaking Enter the Dragon. Interesting thought but here?s the problem with it. Branding is powerful and in this case the movie Enter the Dragon was popular for one reason only?Bruce Lee.

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Last time I checked he?s still pushing up daisies. ?Why make a remake where the entire movie is based on a brand like Bruce Lee. It?s like remaking Elvis movies with someone else. I?m pretty sure people want to see Bruce Lee, not someone pretending to be Bruce Lee.?

This is why this movie will have marginal success at most. ? The Bruce Lee brand image is still strong even today. He was and is a martial arts icon. To think you can throw anyone else in that role is crazy and a bad investment.?Let Bruce Lee movies go as you can?t replace the strongest branding in martial arts history with anyone else.

So one of the cons about blogging is that people with little expertise in your given field can review your web site, product or service. We?ve had about 50 reviews for our ?Free? Branding Test. Did I mention it?s FREE??So of the 50 blog reviews we?ve had only ONE negative response, this bozo Garry Egan (garryegan@gmail.com)?of Internet Consulting World gave our FREE tool a bad review. Yeah, Garry Egan (garryegan@gmail.com)?feels that the tool provides no VALUE (the free tool provides no value). Man oh man.?

This coming from a web site with a PR 3 and 1 Google backlink.?

So he doesn?t like this tool because he didn?t understand it:?

?The third part of the test is focused on messaging. This is where the difficulty of the question starts to increase. ?How accurately do you feel your company positions themselves??I would have no idea what this question means much less how to answer it.?

Listen Garry, if you don?t know what positioning is then maybe you should consider Intro to Marketing at your local University. Some call it marketing 101. If you are unclear of the tool then why not just say so instead of bashing a “valueless free tool”. Never mind the fact that we offer a 1 hour consultation for free. That?s a horrible value huh?

The tool is meant to be a general questionnaire to help marketing executives understand their current branding issues. Of course it has to be general so as to reach all that want to take the test. The Flash programming alone took more time to build then this guys blog. So at the end of his review he makes a statement and asks a question:

?Now, I don?t mean to bash this website. They obviously spent a lot of time and effort with the quality look and feel of the test. However another question I?m going to ask our site sponsor, brandidentityguru.com, is ?How would you rank the strength of your brand awareness tool??

Ah, I wouldn?t it. The Branding Test is just a marketing tactic we use to generate qualified business leads. But our positioning is developing brand identity and proper positioning to close any gap between brand identity and brand image. You may need to reference a basic marketing manual to understand what I just said? So bloggers, if you do a review and you don?t understand a subject then don?t speak badly, just answer honestly as best you can. You can take the test by click on this link:

???? Branding Test?

Seems some people are pretty upset at the amount of money drug companies are spending to advertise their products. Some say it makes consumers overuse the drug and it increases cost of the drug.

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I say take a Zanex and relax! If you overuse a drug then it?s your fault. People need to take responsibility for their own actions. These same people say McDonald?s shouldn?t advertise to kids. Like kids are getting on their Big Wheels and pedaling down to Mic-y-D?s, ripping out their wallets and buying Big Macs. Ah, isn?t that the job of the parent??

We need to stop blaming everyone else and start being responsible parents and individuals. If you feed your kids happy meals all the time there?s a chance they?ll get fat. If you overuse a drug there?s potential for negative side affects.??

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Advertising and branding is a cornerstone of our society. Drug Company?s are more regulated than any other industry. If they want to advertise I say great! If anything I think it makes consumers more educated as to options. At least a consumer can ask their doctor about a drug.??

Brand Image building is critical to any company. I think the drug company?s are doing a good job with what they have to work with. And since you and I can?t run out and purchase 99% of these drugs because we need a prescription then we certainly can?t abuse them.

Well, it came long after I thought it would but one of the members of the Rutgers Girls Basketball Team has filed a law suit against Imus and CBS.

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Who?d a thunk it huh??

“Kim Vaughn was humiliated, embarrassed and publicly mocked for the comments, the lawsuit claims. Her attorney, Richard Ancowitz, said: “The full effect of the damage remains to be seen.” ? Imus lost his job, a job CBS endorsed and supported for many years. Imus had one of the strongest branding of any radio show host with the exception of Howard Stern. Personally I never listened to Imus, nor do I listen to Howard. Their humor gets old quick with me.

That said they had strong brand identity and brand image.?Now comes this frivolous law suit. What happened to ?stick?s and stone?s can break my bones but names will never hurt me?? Our country is full of this crap. There are more lawyers and lawsuits than we will ever need. ?Do I think Imus was out of line? Yes, but so are thousands of DJ?s across the country. Never mind the Rappers out there using words I would never use in my life. Should I sue Rappers for their comments???Do you think if we asked Ms. Vaughn to show us her CD collection there might be some Rap CD’s in it? Would those CD’s be offensive? You bet your life they would!

Imus will be back before you know it. And free speech will come with it. Advertisers are the key to this situation and will decide Imus?s ultimate branding fate.

Van Halen is back! After 22 years they finally realized they could make a boat load of cash by performing together again and forgetting their differences. Van Halen is one of the most recognized brands in rock and roll history. Their brand identity and brand image runs deep with 30-60 year olds (those are the people with money).

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I?ve seen Van Halen with David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar and frankly there is no comparison. Diamond Dave is and will always be the lead singer of VH. Now the?ve added Wolfgang Van Halen (after giving Michael Anthony the boot). ?VH?s tour will most likely be the biggest tour of the year and will revitalize the VH branding effort and bring them back to the main stream.

Brand Identity Guru has been around for almost 2 decades. My name is Scott White and I’m the Chief Cook and Bottle Washer. I’ve decided to throw my thoughts down on paper so to speak and talk about the real life branding experiences I have. Some are good, some not so good. But it’s my look at branding today.?A fun, witty look at the good, bad and the ugly of branding.

I fully expect to piss some people off and make others jump for joy. I never hold back in life so why start now on my blog. I tell it like it is and that’s that.

Copyright: gapingvoid.com

?I hope you enjoy reading how branding affects our daily lives.

Check out my personal bio here: Scott White

Risk is the price you pay for opportunity?

Scott White